CoC : Total Devastation - Roadmap of Pain : Review

Total Devastation - _Roadmap of Pain_
(Firebox, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)

Quote from the promo sheet: "Intense, aggressive and modern death metal from Finland". True, but somewhat misleading (much like the band name), for Total Devastation possess a few distinguishing attributes that mean they will appeal less to pure death metal fanatics and more to some other types. More specifically, the choruses and rhythms remain far from your typical brutal death metal most of the time, and electronic elements are often used in the songs. The band (which apparently features five brothers from two families among its seven members) succeeds at boosting the listenability of _Roadmap of Pain_ through variety. For example, "I Am God" and "Left Hand of the Devil" are catchy and full of electronic elements, "Struggling From Chokehold" and "Fleshing" are much faster, and "Fragments" very Blood Red Throne-ish (give or take a technoid interlude). Nevertheless, the real highlights are the doomy, atmospheric, almost Dolorian-like "Production Peak" midway through the disc, and the catchy "Prepare to Die", which features a violin. All in all, the album remains enjoyable not only because the band can come up with plenty of good hooks, but also because they sound somewhat different from the norm, and above all keep things varied throughout without ending up with a disjointed album. _Roadmap of Pain_ is a very good debut from Total Devastation, the kind of disc that doesn't impress much at first but tends to win you over after a few spins.

Contact: http://www.totaldevastation.org

(article published 22/8/2003)

ALBUMS
26/9/2006	P Azevedo	8.5	Total Devastation - Wreck